Kelly Youga ........
Okay, like most of the team, he's playing at a lower level this season, but ......
Today, against alternating tricky and direct wingers, he really did his job and did it well.
Solid in the tackle, apart from 1 rash effort that he got booked for. On the ball, calm and composed, did the simple thing mostly Semedo style, but showed good skills and occasionally went on buccaneering runs and worked well with Bailey.
Somebody has done a brilliant job of working with him; credit also to Dailly, Bailey and Semedo who were talking and covering with him on the park.
This was more like the spirited and confident Youga that came back from Scunny ....... but a better more effective player in a way, as there was a control and composure about his game.
There's so no doubt he's been on a gradual improving upwards curve this season, no doubt benefitting from being part of a successful winning team that has conceded only 3 times, including 3 successive clean sheets.
That's the difference that confidence and self-belief makes to a player.
It's like having a new signing. Well done, Kelly Youga !
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When he was on loan at Scunnie, a mate of mine went to watch them, didn't realise it was him, and raved about how good their left back was.
He came back and really looked quality. Then, as we seem to do a lot, especially under Pardew, he seemed to regress. I felt that towards the end of last season he was getting it back.
I have seen all our matches except the first two and he has been good in each but today was his best performance.
You will get the occasional rush of blood, but he is technically excellent and I'll allow him the odd lapse if he puts in the sort of performance week in week out like he did today.
Oggy - great minds and all that as I've just raised an old thread on the subject. Not as eloquent as your posting mind you but a little more succinct!
lol, Addict ...... as you'll no doubt painfully recall, I don't do succinct .... (!)
;o)
Well done Youga, we salute you, youve clearly worked very hard on your game and its really blossoming
Youga's biggest fault is that he'll play like a god for a few games and the disappears into this kind of Youga like parallel universe every now and again. In fact, sometimes he goes through this transition within 90 minutes, there was something like that in the last game against Walsall.
I like Kelly, but also dislike him. Maybe I'm absorbing his Frenchness, maybe that's the French way, to love is to hate and is not love something like love?
The French way to love is to shag.
I have always felt that responsibility will help to keep him in check. The more he feels an intergral part of team, the less he will try the silly showboating over-confidence.
He reminds me alot in temprement to Rio Ferdinand. Rio has great technical ability. Early in his career he promised a lot but his performances were littered with mistakes where he just seemed to be "somewhere else". He has been given/ shouldered more and more responsibility as his career developed and so his mistakes and wayward play has pretty-well dried up.
I think Parkys trick not just with Kelly but generally has been to marry ensuring players take personal responsibility for their game, within the overall team ethic. For players to break into the first eleven, Parky requires them to be leaders on (and I guess off) the pitch. This was Curbs way, especially when he was building the promotion teams.